Salute to small business: Young entrepreneurs recognized.

• Author: Ross, Ian
• Position: Brief Article

Kyle Long did not want to swing a sledgehammer on a Canadian Pacific Railway track for the rest of his life. Nor was he overly enamoured with putting to use his high pressure boiler certificate from Cambrian College.

Instead, what was once a college sideline - booking entertainment acts on campus - is now a full-time calling.

The 23-year-old Schreiber native started his own Sudbury-based company, Leg Event Management and Consulting, in February and now showcases an exclusive client list of 11 entertainers with access to at least 30 more.

After a brief stint trying his hand at stand-up comedy, Long discovered a passion for the entertainment field overseeing a $130,000 entertainment budget at the college, booking bands and comedy acts, plus doing some freelancing.

Though situated in Sudbury, he operates from Vancouver, B.C. to St. Johns, Nfld. and is in the process of putting together a cross-Canada tour of his acts which include Maritime comedian Jimmy Flynn and hypnotist Tony Lee.

Long, who boasts a client retention rate of 100 per cent, attributes his success to his past working relationships with his acts, a straight-up business ethic and "following through on my word," he says.

As business takes off, Long. intends to set up an office in Kitchener in the next few months to be closer to his clients, but plans to maintain a presence in Sudbury.

With no formal business or managerial training, aside from running a spring water warehouse at age 14 in his hometown, and a College Boreal self-employment benefit program, everything he has learned about the entertainment industry, he has learned on the run, he says.

About 60 like-minded young entrepreneurs lined up convocation-style at Tom Davies Square in Sudbury Oct. 25 to receive an award of distinction from Mayor Jim Gordon at a young entrepreneur recognition ceremony during Small Business Week Oct. 21 to 27.

"You're making a difference, you're pushing...